Call for nominations: The ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects

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CHICAGO — Nominations are being sought for the ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects. Nominations must be submitted to ALA's International Relations Office by Dec. 1.

The citation began as an ALA Presidential initiative of Dr. Loriene Roy, ALA president in 2007-2008 and Notable IRRT Member. Citations are awarded each year by the ALA president at the International Relations Round Table (IRRT) International Librarians Reception during the ALA Annual Conference to recognize innovative contributions to international librarianship. IRRT is a round table of the American Library Association with a mission to develop the interests of librarians in activities and problems in the field of international library relations.

In 2010, IRRT was invited to collaborate with future ALA presidents in the nomination and award process. At this time, a decision was made to change the previous title, ALA Presidential Citation for International Innovation to ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects.

Projects must be nominated by an ALA member or an individual with an IFLA affiliation. Nominators may submit nominations for more than one project. In order to nominate a library project, nominators must complete the nomination form and submit it to the International Relations Office by email or regular mail. Distinct projects by an individual, group or organization may be nominated separately in the same year. However, it is unlikely that the citation will be awarded for more than one of the projects. Past recipients of the ALA Presidential Citation for International Innovation may be considered only for new innovative projects. Citations recognize innovative projects that result from the work of an individual, group or organization.

The deadline for nominations is Dec. 1 of each year. Nominations are submitted to the ALA International Relations Office (email: intl@ala.org) for review by the IRRT Advisory Award Committee on the ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects.

The following criteria will be used in selecting recipients:

the recipient will have designed and implemented a highly visible innovative library service(s) in a country outside of the United States within the last three years;

the innovative service(s) must be unique, original and greatly improve existing library services for users;

the service(s) should draw attention to the potential of library service/s to creating positive change;

the service(s) must demonstrate a strong likelihood of sustainability and have potential to serve as a model for other libraries;

the service(s) must be current, that is, it must be in operation during the year that the Citation is awarded.